of porgs and puffins and luminous beings
What can the swamp biome of Dagobah teach us about how we interact with the Force? As an entirely wild, untouched planet, Dagobah provides an arena for our characters to test themselves, to face their insecurities, and to be forced to become better for themselves. This happened for both Luke and Yoda, whose experiences on … Continue reading Nature of the Force II: Dagobah
Introduction As explorers have pushed out from the core worlds, they have increasingly encountered species either unknown or poorly documented within the research literature. Most often this is due to the relative isolation of the planets where the species occurs - for example, little research has been done on the wampas of Hoth because the … Continue reading Sarlaccs: The Nature of the Beast
“Save the Whales!” A statement that has become synonymous with the environmental movement itself. Movements to protect whales from the perils of the commercial whaling industry were at the forefront of the early environmental movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s, embraced by such big-name groups as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Foundation. The work of … Continue reading Do the Space Whales Need Saving? The Purrgil and Conservation.
The crystal foxes, or vulptex, of Crait are a fascinating example of a familiar species combined with a very unfamiliar design element. At first glance they might seem altogether fantastical and unrealistic, but if we look closely we may find similarities to more familiar animals from our planet that may help us understand this galactic … Continue reading Vulptex and Its Amazing Salt-Colored Dreamcoat
Star Wars: Rebels has introduced us to an entire menagerie of new creatures in the galaxy far, far away. There are the cute (lothcats), the majestic (purrgils), and the just plain comedic (puffer pigs), but perhaps no creature has elicited more fan speculation than that of the convor (okay, fine, lothwolves excluded). The convorees (plural … Continue reading The Eye of the Beh-owl-der: Are Convorees Really “Space Owls”?
By guest contributor Chris Wermeskerch For many fans, after Disney’s new round of Star Wars films was launched, discussions were raised about the new slate of films and whether or not they had feminist biases. The point of this essay is to seriously examine, well, does Rogue One carry feminist overtones? More particularly in this … Continue reading Ecofeminism and Rogue One
The idea of animal rights as a social cause is nothing new; the ASPCA was founded in 1866. But when you take a broader look at the history of the animal rights movement, the ethical treatment of animals wasn’t considered a hot-button issue until the early 1980’s, and has continually gained in popularity since then. As … Continue reading #JusticeForBoga: The Growing Awareness of Animal Rights in Star Wars
What does the wildlife and nature of a planet tell us about how the Force manifests there? Do differences in ecosystems between planets convey whether the dark side or light side is stronger in one or another? Here at Porgology, I'll be analyzing the biomes of various planets in the Galaxy Far, Far Away, how … Continue reading Nature of the Force I: Ahch-To
Porgs, a recently identified species of avian-like creature nesting on the rocky shores of Ahch-To, have become a cause for alarm in the galactic ecologist community. After seeing how porgs have taken over the landscape on Ahch-To, the speed at which they colonize visiting spacecraft, and public interest in porgs as pets (Bibbiani, 2017; Whalen, … Continue reading Galactic Threat? An Evaluation of Porgs as Invasive Species
The beauty of the island was not enough to calm my nerves. Don’t get me wrong, it was a beautiful island. Dark gray cliffs, bright green vegetation, rich navy water – it was truly a tapestry to behold. I had only landed on this island because I was out of fuel, but I had no … Continue reading Report from the Field: Porgs
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